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Local optometrist returns to her roots

Family Eyecare team welcomes Dr. Darcy Dennis to the local practice
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The Family Eyecare team.

Dr. Darcy Dennis has come full circle.

Once a long-time patient of Family Eyecare, she now joins Dr. Judith LeRoy and Dr. Nazima Sangha in the practice.

“I’m excited to have joined the Family Eyecare team and look forward to serving the community I grew up in,” she says.

After growing up in Saanich, Dr. Dennis earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Victoria before working as an oncology research assistant at the BC Cancer Agency in the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

Inspired by the health care professionals she worked with and the care she received at Family Eyecare, Dr. Dennis committed to becoming a health care professional herself, completing her Doctor of Optometry degree at University of Waterloo. Receiving training in full visual assessments as well as disease diagnosis and treatment, clinical clerkships followed in Waterloo, Tallahassee, Florida and Victoria.

“Dr. LeRoy played a big role in inspiring me to pursue optometry; she even allowed me to job shadow and wrote my letter of recommendation for optometry school,” Dr. Dennis says. “In my final year, Dr. LeRoy and Dr. Sangha invited me to do a seven-week internship as part of my clinical rotations, so Family Eyecare played a part in both my decision to enter optometry and the training itself!”

Today, Dr. Dennis provides full-scope optometry, including glasses and contact lens fitting, pediatric assessments, glaucoma management, diabetic assessments and cataract and refractive surgery co-management.

A passion for giving back

Dr. Dennis’s passion for giving back took her to Peru to provide free eyecare and eyeglasses as part of Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity and she served as an event organizer for Optometry Giving Sight, a global fundraising initiative targeting impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error.

Through these experiences Dr. Dennis has grown to appreciate the importance of clear vision and good ocular health, messages she shares with patients. “A pair of well-prescribed glasses or a proper contact lens fitting can make a massive difference in quality of life at any age.”

The importance of proper eyecare

Routine visual assessments to screen for conditions such as binocular vision problems, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic or hypertensive changes are crucial.

“A proper eye exam should not only assess all of the above, but also educate you and provide a better understanding of your own health,” Dr. Dennis explains. “People in Victoria are very inquisitive and engaged in their health, which I appreciate because patient education is my favourite (and I think the most important) part of an eye health exam.”

Providing accessible care

With work, school and extracurricular activities, the Family Eyecare team understands the challenge of fitting in the various health appointments families need. Recognizing the importance of proper eye care to overall health, they offer extended hours Tuesday and Thursday until 7 p.m., with Saturday appointments also available.

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Family Eyecare Centre is a locally owned and operated clinic proud to have served Greater Victoria’s eye care needs for more than 80 years. Eye doctors, opticians and staff continue this long legacy of providing comprehensive eye care and personalized service.